2026-01-16 18:13:25Derek staggered to his feet, hand pressed against his burning cheek. The sting was nothing compared to the rage flooding through his veins.
He yanked his phone out, fingers trembling as he dialed.
"Security, get to the executive floor NOW!" His voice cracked. "I want this man arrested for assault!"
Heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor within seconds. Thomas Berg appeared with two other guards, his face professionally neutral as he assessed the scene. Derek's red handprint was impossible to miss.
"He assaulted me!" Derek jabbed his finger at Marcus. "Look at my face! I want him arrested and charged!"
Thomas turned to Marcus, who stood exactly where he'd been, hands at his sides, breathing steady.
"Sir, I need you to come with us."
Marcus nodded once. No argument. No plea. Just quiet acceptance.
Jessica stepped forward, her voice shaking.
"He was protecting me! Derek tried to hit me first and Marcus..."
"Shut UP!" Derek whirled on her. "You're FIRED for defending this piece of trash!"
Thomas gestured to Marcus. "Sir, please."
Marcus moved toward the guards without resistance. The crowd parted like water, phones still raised, still recording. He passed Derek without looking at him, and for just a moment their eyes met.
Derek expected fear. Anger. Something.
What he saw looked almost like pity.
"Make sure he's blacklisted from every company in this city," Derek called after them. "I want him to never work again!"
The guards escorted Marcus toward the elevator. The doors closed. He was gone.
Derek straightened his suit jacket, touched his cheek. Still stung like hell, but it was worth it. He'd won. Marcus was finished.
Just then;
DING.
Derek's phone lit up with a notification. Then another. Around him, phones erupted like popcorn. DING. DING. DING.
Employees pulled out their phones, faces shifting as they read.
"What the..." someone muttered.
"Ownership transfer?" another voice whispered.
"Marcus Hayes? Fifty one percent?"
The murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire. Confused faces, furrowed brows, people refreshing their emails like the words might change.
"That can't be real," someone said.
"Has to be a mistake," another agreed.
"But it's from the Board of Directors..."
"He's the messenger. This doesn't make any sense."
Derek snatched the phone from the employee nearest him and read the email.
SUBJECT: Ownership Transfer, Effective Immediately
FROM: Board of Directors, Langford Technologies
Marcus Hayes is now majority shareholder with 51% controlling stake. Emergency board meeting tomorrow, 9 AM. All department heads required to attend.
Derek's face went white. His hands started to shake.
Then he laughed.
It started as a chuckle, then grew into something louder, crueler. The kind of laugh that made people uncomfortable.
"He faked it!" Derek held up the phone like evidence at a trial. "Look at this pathetic attempt!"
A few people glanced at each other, uncertain.
"You think that loser owns anything?" Derek's voice rose, commanding the corridor. "He can't even afford new shoes! This is the most desperate, sad thing I've ever seen!"
Mark and David laughed nervously, following Derek's lead. Some employees nodded. It made sense. Easier to believe than the alternative.
"The fool got tired of being a beggar and decided to play dress up!" Derek was hitting his stride now, feeding off the crowd's uncertainty. "He probably paid some hacker to send fake emails!"
"But how would he..." someone started.
"Does it matter?" Derek cut them off. "Look at him! Does THAT man look like he owns a multi million dollar company?"
More nods. More relieved faces. They wanted to believe Derek. It was simpler that way.
"This is his last pathetic attempt at a fake life before I destroy him completely!" Derek's grin was vicious. "When I'm done with him, he'll wish he never..."
The elevator at the end of the corridor dinged.
The sound cut through Derek's speech like a knife.
Heavy footsteps. Fast. Urgent.
The crowd turned.
Victoria Reeves, the CEO of the company burst into the corridor like a storm.
Sharp gray suit, tablet clutched in one hand, face flushed like she'd been running. Three board members rushed behind her, all of them looking equally frantic.
The crowd parted instantly.
"Ms. Reeves," someone breathed.
Employees straightened up, phones disappearing into pockets. Victoria's eyes swept the corridor, wild and searching.
"Where is Marcus Hayes?"
Her voice was urgent. Almost panicked.
Derek's stomach dropped. Something was wrong. She wasn't supposed to look scared.
Victoria's gaze locked onto Derek.
"You. Where is he?"
Derek opened his mouth, tried to find his confidence again.
"Security took him to the holding office, but Ms. Reeves, I can explain..."
"You had him TAKEN?" Victoria's face went pale.
"Yes! He assaulted me and sent fake emails claiming he..."
Victoria wasn't listening. She was already dialing her phone, pressing it to her ear.
"Thomas, release Marcus Hayes immediately. RIGHT NOW."
She hung up without waiting for a response and turned back to Derek.
Behind her, the three board members were whispering urgently to each other, their faces tight with worry.
The crowd was dead silent. Watching. Waiting.
Derek's shirt was sticking to his back with sweat, but he could still salvage this. He just needed to explain. Needed to make her understand.
He walked toward Victoria quickly, forcing a confident smile onto his face.
"Ms. Reeves, I'm actually glad you're here."
Victoria's expression was unreadable.
"One of your employees sent fraudulent emails to the entire company." Derek gestured at the watching crowd. "Everyone received them. Fake ownership transfer documents."
He pointed back toward where Marcus had been standing.
"Marcus Hayes, the messenger, he's behind it. He hacked the company system and forged board authorization."
Derek's chest puffed out. He was handling this. Taking charge. Showing leadership.
"I had him arrested for assault AND cyber fraud. I acted quickly to protect the company's integrity and contain the situation before it could cause more damage."
His smile widened. He could already see the corner office, the raise, the title bump.
"I think my actions today demonstrate the kind of initiative you look for in upper management positions..."
Victoria's hand moved.
CRACK.
The slap tore across Derek's face like lightning.
His head snapped sideways and he crashed into the wall.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
Chapter 237
A few moments ago, at one of the teleportation stations in Larson City, a large group of armored figures emerged from the teleportation portal. The aura emanating from their armor revealed that each piece was an artifact, and their average cultivation level was no trivial matter—most of them were at the marquess stage. Among them were individuals above the marquess stage, with the strongest, their leader, at the middle emperor stage.The moment people noticed the group, they instinctively stepped aside, unwilling to obstruct their path after recognizing the symbol on their armor—the emblem of the imperial family. From their armor and the badges on their chests, it was apparent that this was the renowned Blue Dragon Battalion, an elite unit of the imperial family composed of powerful knights, where only the most exceptional individuals were selected to serve.Many speculated that the arrival of the Blue Dragon Battalion in this city was related to the Larson family, whose actions seeme
Chapter 236
Grand Duke Larson was stunned, but with his quick wit, he countered with his own technique. A purple flame burst from his palm, colliding with the flame that emerged from the spatial crack.Clap, clap!"Well, it’s better for you to act yourself and show your true self," Aldrian said while clapping beside Carol. From the start, he had been with Carol, acting as her guardian. None of the Duclan family members knew his identity, but Carol insisted that he would protect her. Many doubted that a marquess-stage cultivator could keep Carol safe, yet she stood firm in her belief in Aldrian.If she doesn’t believe in the person who saved her and destroyed Boraz Fortress, then who is she supposed to believe?Right now, Grand Duke Larson was blocking the fire from the spatial crack with his own flame. However, from his flame, everyone could sense an energy that was all too familiar to the populace of the continent.The devil energyGrand Duke Larson had already turned into a devil! His purple fl
Chapter 235
"What is this? There are only two at the Marquess stage here. I thought more would come," one of the Duke-stage cultivators said. He was a platoon commander in the Larson family, his aura overbearing as if he was ready for action."Just kill them and move on to help the others," the other Duke-stage cultivator replied.While they were speaking, their goons had already begun attacking Carol and her guardian. However, the assault was suddenly engulfed by shadows and lightning as, one by one, the Marquess-stage cultivators of the Larson family were slain by a shadowy figure that had appeared without warning."Assassins!" one of the Grand Duke-stage cultivators shouted, but before he could react further, an assassin had already appeared in front of him and slashed at him with a dagger. He tried to block the attack with his sword, but the dagger unleashed a bolt of lightning that struck him directly. The lightning shattered the middle-heaven-grade sword in his hand, leaving him defenseless
Chapter 234
Inside the imperial palace, Emperor Herman sat in his office with an expressionless face. His gaze was blank as he stared outside, faint signs of fatigue evident in his eyes. His condition stemmed from the events of a few days prior, when their dungeon, which held a devil captive, was infiltrated by an unknown individual. This intruder managed to kill the devil inside her cell.This event caused a significant disturbance within the imperial palace, as the dungeon had been under heavy security ever since the devil was held captive. For the intruder to infiltrate it and possess knowledge of the dungeon’s structure and trap formations, they must have been intimately familiar with the dungeon’s layout. While many people in the imperial palace are aware of the general structure of the dungeon, due to the heightened security measures since the devil’s captivity, only a select few have access to the layout of the security points.This was to ensure there were no leaks or gaps in the security
Chapter 233
The next day, rumors began to circulate that young master Clark had disappeared following the fight between two mysterious king-stage cultivators. Many people wondered if the rumors were true, but the Larson family chose not to address them.Instead, the public received another piece of news directly from the Larson family. They claimed that all the recent problems related to the devils were the work of an external organization. According to them, the remnants of the Duclan family were the true perpetrators. The Duclan family had returned, seeking revenge against the Larson family, whom they blamed for their downfall.The reasoning presented by the Larson family was quite logical and seemed reasonable. However, without concrete evidence to prove that the remnants of the Duclan family were responsible for the devil-related incidents, it was difficult to convince the masses.Many people scoffed at the claim, dismissing it as nothing more than an attempt by the Larson family to shirk the
Chapter 232
That was the voice he recognized, the voice of the unknown man who had appeared in his visions on several occasions in the past. It had been there when he comprehended the symbol inside the golden box of the secret sword chamber in the Forgeheart Kingdom and again when he completed the forging of the unnamed divine sword.This unknown man felt inexplicably close to him, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Aldrian considered that man like blood family.Aldrian was immersed in a state of comprehension as he pondered the thread of origin. That voice kept repeating itself, like some kind of recording playing inside his mind. His thoughts spun with the emotions he experienced when he saw the visions of himself and Sylphia, all while hearing the voice over and over again. At one point, he felt as if he could leap into one of the visions and enter that world, but he held himself back.After more than half an hour, he finally opened his eyes. Something profound lay within Aldrian’s gaze
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